Collar support



H. c. HAYSLIP 3,108,724 comm SUPPORT Filed July 26, 1962 FIGA INVENTOR HOMER C. HAYSLIP A ORNEY United States Patent "cc 3,108,724 COLLAR SUPPORT Homer C. Hayslip, 880 Virginia Ave. NE., Atlanta 3, (4a., assignor of one-half to Jerome Scheuer, Atlanta, Ga. Filed July 26, 1962, Ser. No. 212,633 1 Claim. (Cl. 223-83) This invention relates to supports for the collars of garments and more particularly, to a support for the attached collar of a new or freshly laundered shirt which is easy to position and which will prevent the collar with it is associated from becoming crushed, distorted or otherwise damaged by packaging, shipment or handling.

It is customary for manufacturers of garments such as shirts and for launderers and cleaners of these garments to provide some type of removable support for attached collars in order to prevent the collars from becoming wrinkled, crushed or otherwise distorted. This insures that the garment will be pleasing in appearance when received by the customer and various devices have been used as the removable support.

Some of these previous devices have been dificult and time consuming to position or associate with the collar of a garment. Others do not readily maintain their proper position in the garment and, of course, do not accomplish their purpose. In general, all of these previous devices have not successfully prevented the bending or creasing of the points of a collar under all circumstances since they provide no direct support or protection to the points of a collar.

The device disclosed herein eliminates the faults of previous removable supports for the attached collars of garments. It is not only easy and convenient to position with reference to a collar, but it provides support to the collar in such a manner as to resist any tendency of the collar points to be creased or bent. Moreover, it maintains its position in relation to the collar once it is positioned and is economical to manufacture.

These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all figures and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view showing the upper half of a new or freshly laundered garment with its front, back and sleeves arranged about a stiffening board and having a collar support in position, within its collar.

FIGURE 2 is a section view taken in line 22 of FIGURE 1 and shows the collar, bosom and back of the shirt and the collar support in section but with the stiffening board and those portions of the shirt behind the stiffening board in FIGURE 1 omitted for clarity.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the collar support as it appears prior to bending and insertion into the attached collar of a garment.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the collar support as it appears when bent into the general configuration which it assumes after insertion into the attached collar of a garment.

These figures and the following detailed description disclose a preferred specific embodiment of the invention, but the invention is not limited to the details disclosed since it may be embodied in other equivalent forms.

The specific embodiment of the new and improved collar support 19 described herein may be cut or stamped from any relatively thin sheet stock which can be bent by hand as shown in FIGURE 4, but which has the resiliency to straighten after bending and the rigidity to resist deformation by forces applied to its edges 11. The collar support is rectangular in outline and its length 3,168,724 Patented Oct. 29, 1963 or long dimension is such that when it is bent and inserted within an attached collar 12 of a garment 13- as shown in FIGURE 1, its ends 14 and 15 will engage the inner surface of the back 16 of the collar 12. This engagement of the ends 14 and '15 of the collar support 10 with the back 16 of the collar 12 and the resiliency of the collar support 10 will cause the collar support 10 to press against the inner surfaces of the front 17 and sides 18 of the collar 12. Thus, collar support 10 maintains the front 17 and sides 18 of the collar 12 in that curving shape which the collar 12 will have when Worn and which must be maintained prior to wearing if dissatisfied custorners are to be avoided.

The width of the collar support 10 is approximately equal to the height of the collar 12 with which it is to be used. Thus, when positioned within a collar 12 as shown in FIGURE 1, the collar support 10 not only maintains the front 17 and sides 18 of the collar :12 in the desired curving shape, but it will also prevent the front 17 and sides 18 of the collar 12 from being crushed or otherwise deformed in the direction of the bosom 19' of the garment 13.

The collar support 10 has two slots 20 extending from that portion 21 generally midway between its ends 14 and 15 and adjacent to one long edge 22. One slot 20 extends toward one end 14 and the other long edge 23 of the collar support 10 and the other slot 20 extends toward the other end 15 and the long edge 23 of the collar support 10. Each slot 20 and the long edge 22'defines a tab 24 having its small end 25 in that portion 21 of the collar support 10 midway between the ends 14 and 15 and being wider at its end 26 nearest to end 14 or 15 of the collar support 10. V

The slots 20 are arranged so that there is a midsection 27 and an end section 28 adjacent to each end 14 or 15 of the collar support 10 which is not traversed or cut by a slot 20. Thus, the collar support 10 is solid between 'longedges 22 and 23 at midsection 27 and end sections 23 and these sections 27 and 28 are of sufiicient Width between ends 14 and 15 to insure that the collar support 16 is rigid between edges 22 and 23. Moreover, the outermost ends 29 of the slots 20 are sufficiently distant from edge 23 to provide a portion of the collar support 10 extending from end 14 to end 15 without a slot 20' cutting or traversing it which is wide enough between edges 22 and 23 to have the resiliency necessary to maintain the curving shape of a collar 12 in the manner described above.

It is apparent that the slots were arranged to provide a collar support 10 which maintains the curving shape of a collar 12 and prevents the collar 12 from being crushed the ends 14 and 15 of the collar support 10 than the midsection 27 of the collar support 10. Thus, when the collar support 10 is bent'and placed within the attached collar 12 of a garment 13 with the midsection 27 against the inner surface of the front 17 of the collar 12, the tabs 24 will extend beyond the inner surface and other 7 portions of the collar neckband 24 and between the back 31 and the bosom 19 of the garment.

The extending tabs 24 aid in maintaining the collar support 10 in position in the collar 12. Since the tabs 24 are wedged between the back 31 and the bosom 19 L of the garment 13, their movement is restricted and this in turn, restricts the movement of the midsection 27 of the collar support 10. The midsection 27 is not only prevented from moving-upward out of the collar 12,but its motion within the collar toward the back '16 or sides 18 of the collar 12 is prevented.

The extending tabs 24 also protect the collar points 32 from being creased or otherwise deformed in the area 34 between their tips 33 and the neckband 34 This is achieved by the tabs 24 raising the front 17 of the collar 12 and the bosom 19 beneath area 34 so as to move the tips 33 of the collar points 32 away from the back 31 of the garment 13 and any stiffening board 36 or support ing surface associated with the back 31. Thus, the neckband 3%? or collar points 32 themselves must be forced a distance toward the back 31 of the garment 13 before movement of the tips 33 of the collar points 32 is stopped by a stiffenin board 36 or supporting surface and creasing or deformation of the collar points 32 can occur.

The distance which the tabs 24 hold the collar points 32 away from a stiffening board 36 and a supporting surface not only provides the protection of distance for the collar points 32 with respect to creasing, but it should be noted that any movement of the neckband 30 is itself prevented by the tabs 24 extending under the neckband 3%. Moreover, it should also be noted that if the tips 33 of the collar points 32 and the bosom 19 are forced toward the back 31 of the garment 13, the areas 34 of the collar points 32 and those portions of the bosom 19 beneath them will be forced against the extending ends 25 of the tabs 24 and creases in areas 34 of the collar points 32 will be prevented. Thus, the tabs 24 protect collar points 32 from being creased or otherwise deformed in the areas 34 by providing direct support beneath these areas 34 as well as the protection of distance described above.

The device described herein not only provides excellent protection for attached collars 12 against wrinkles and creases, but it is also easy to position within a collar 12. Positioning can be accomplished by simply raising the front 17 of a collar 12 and the bosom 19 a slight distance from the back 31 of a garment 13, bending the collar support 10 as shown in FIGURE 4, placing the mid- 4 section 27 of the collar support 10 against the inner surface of the front 17 of the collar 12 and the tabs 24 between the bosom 19 and back 31 of the garment 13, and sliding the ends 14 and 15 of the collar support 10 into the collar 12 and against the back 16 of the collar 12.

Moreover, it is obvious that the device may be easily and inexpensively manufactured by asingle cutting or stamping operation. In this connection, it should be noted that slits rather than slots, if placed in the same manner as the slots, would provide a collar support 10 similar to that described herein. However, slots possess the advantage of permitting the tabs 24 to extend easily andwithout possible binding when the collar support 10 is bent for positioning in a collar 12.

What is claimed as my invention:

A device for maintaining the shape of a garment having a back, a bosom, and an attached collar with an inner surface and collar points extending over portions of the bosom, comprising, an elongated strip of flexible material having an upper elongated edge, a lower elongated edge, two end edges, a pair of slots positioned adjacent the midpoint of said strip of material in laterally spaced relation to one another, said slots extending upwardly from the lower elongated edge normal thereto and then outwardly and upwardly in opposite directions to one another in a linear manner over their entire lengths forming a central support having a lower portion thereof generally rectilinear in configuration with the bottom free edge thereof being coplanar with the lower elongated edge and an elongated tab portion on each side of said central portion whereby when said strip of material is curved for placement 'm'thin a collar, the central portion will remain in a generally fixed position and the tab portions will extend outwardly therefrom on either side thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,334,068 Chadwick Nov. 9, 1943 2,665,051 Tomarin Ian. 5, 1954 2,814,425 Rutt Nov. 26, 1957 FORETGN PATENTS 730,780 Great Britain June 1, 1955 

